Stories
by Skinfull
Summary: Mulder and Scully on a stake out swap stories. Just a bit of insight into our favourite heroes. Oh and of course the requisite MSR as well. FINISHED
1. Default Chapter

            _**God bless the person who build this site and let us use it for the common good!** _

Special Agent Patrick Eason nudged his partner and pointed with his eyes towards the black car that was pulling into a space at the corner of the block.

"Hey Lawson," he leered, "here comes Scully!"

            Lawson sat up to get a better view, her snug black jeans and clinging blue jumper showing off her figure well as she shifted her weight onto a different foot and waited for a break in traffic to cross the road.

"Oh god, why did I have to get stuck with you when I could have been spending my days with her," Eason said slapping his partners portly stomach.

"Yeah but does she have my sparkling personality?"

"Who cares if she looks like that?"

"Hello Gentlemen."  
            Both Agents jumped as Mulder leaned in the open car window, his smile broad and knowing when his eyes followed their gaze as the target they had been watching finally managed to cross the road.

"I guess you're free to go," he said pulling the door open for Lawson to step out.

"'Bout time too!" Lawson said jokingly as he stood up next to Mulder his weight belying his considerable strength.  He stretched his arms up high in the air to soothe his aching muscles after sitting in the car for over five hours.  "No activity, log is in the glove box."

            Mulder sat into the car in time to see Eason hold the door open for Scully and she afforded the other agent a small smile keeping her eyes low and fixing her light jacket across her knees.

            Lawson threw a bag of crisps in through the window at Mulder and smiled.

"Have a good night!"

            Mulder tossed the crisps into the back seat without a second thought and from his pocket he pulled out a bag of seeds.  With a wink at Scully he opened them and left them on the dashboard, taking a handful before he rested back into the chair.

"Is that all you brought?"

"No," he said fumbling in his other pocket, "I brought two."  He showed her the other packet of seeds and smiled at her sigh.

"It's going to be a long night," she said aloud glancing at the clock to see it reading 22:15.

***

            The first raindrops fell at midnight but by half twelve the heavens had opened in a splendour of power that hammered against the windows relentlessly.  Scully pulled her jacket from the back seat and draped it over her cold shivering body.

"You cold?" he asked catching her tremble.

"A little," she conceded, "you?" she looked over at him in his white t-shirt and black cotton jumper.

"No."

            Scully's skin tingled and she shivered as the hairs on her arms rose to attention.  

"Someone walking on your grave," he said as he tossed more shells into the ashtray.

"I didn't know I had one."

"You just need to keep your mind off the cold."

"Yeah."

            She watched as he stretched for another handful of seeds and couldn't help but be jealous of his natural warmth.

"Stop me if you heard this one," he said twisting in his seat towards her.

            Scully sighed loudly and let her head fall back onto the headrest closing her eyes over as he continued.

"Two FBI Agents walk into a bar," he began.

"Oh god Mulder no. Please stop," she pleaded covering both of her hands with her face.  "No more dirty FBI jokes."

"You heard it then?"

"I heard them all."

"You okay Scully, you seem a little on edge?"

"I'm tired Mulder.  Tired and hungry," she admitted.  "And cold, I just want to get through this stakeout and get home to crawl into my bed."

"Yeah…me too," he said unable to resist the jibe.

            She threw him a look but he caught the glint in it and returned it with a soft smile.

"You know what?" he asked smiling innocently at her which heightened her suspicions.  "I could keep you distracted and warm all at the same time!" he said and as he did he reclined his chair back as far as it would go.

"We wouldn't get much surveillance done then," she said pulling her eyes from his lean body before he caught the hungry look that churned behind their cool blue surface.

"What surveillance?" he said sitting up suddenly and looking all around.

"Aren't you afraid you'll miss him?"

"Afraid Scully? Me? Never!" he joked as he fixed his seat.  "I fear nothing."

"Except fire…and women."

"That's not fear, it's common sense."

            He turned to her seriously and captured her eyes, seeing the unmistakable feeling of pleasure pass through them and suddenly he was bombarded with thoughts and images on how he could enhance these emotions for her.  Where he'd have to kiss her to turn her eyes even darker and make her smile more carnal.

"What scares you Scully?" he whispered into the cars sudden silent tension.

"I suppose the same things as everyone else," she answered non-committedly.

"Like what?"

"Loosing my family or my…friends," she added with a small twitch in her eyebrows that surely he would have missed had he not been watching her so intently.

"You're not afraid of the dark?" he asked adding a menacing tone to his voice she didn't recognise.

"No," she answered simply.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm usually armed," she said as she patted the familiar bulge by her hip.

"Okay, let me rephrase the question," he said as he reached for more seeds and she was thankful to notice his voice had returned to the usual understated exuberance it usually had.  "What scared you when you were a kid?"

"My brothers."

"No bogey-men under your bed? Monsters in the attic?"

"No only Bill and Charlie torturing me with tales of horror."

            Mulder couldn't help but smile at the young Dana Scully, whose pictures he'd seen countless times at her mothers house, being tricked and tortured by her two brothers.  But his thoughts soon turned to similar scrapes and fights he'd had with Samantha.

            She sensed the downturn in his mood as the playful gleam in his eye and the curve of his lob-sided smile faded before her.

"I thought I saw a ghost once," she said suddenly.

"Really?" he asked disbelievingly.

"When I was a kid," she said nodding her head happy to see him smiling again.

"Well, well, well Scully, you constantly surprise me."

"After all these years?"

"After all those denials," he retorted.  
            Their eyes locked again but this time she pulled away before he could read them fully, leaving him with the hint of more to come.  He watched as she took a long sip from her bottle of water and decided to push her for more ghostly information.

"What happened?" he asked eager to know all the details of the apparition that scared the young Dana Scully.

"It's a long story," she said glancing over at him.

"I'm not going anywhere, are you?"

"No, not yet."  
            Mulder shifted in his seat so he faced her fully with his back against the cold window.  He watched as she fumbled with the lid of her water and searched for a way to start her tale.  He smiled as she blushed into his gaze and he knew she'd remember every detail of the night in question but she'd omit much of it from the story he'd hear now.  She would try to fob it off as misunderstood a childish terror that meant nothing, but the fact that she still remembers it told him that it still crept into her mind at night when the wind rattle the windows.

"I was eleven…ish, and we were living on the base in San Diego.  A bunch of us used to hang around together and at night we'd gather by the edge of the forest that ran around the back of the airfield."

"Sounds cosy," he smirked, ignoring her glare.

"We used to play this game, someone would throw a ball in and dare someone else to go in after it.  It was all very scary!" she said mock seriously.

"I can imagine," he said smiling warmly at her, the seeds and the cold forgotten.

"So one night Bill hurls this ball in and dared me," he continued.

"And you couldn't possibly refuse."

"No, so in I went, dark forest, strange noises, no torch."

"Scully stop, I dunno if you're scaring me or turning me on!"

"All the other kids were hollering after me and I got my foot caught in some underbrush.  I fell over and when I looked up I saw a young boy sitting in a tree watching me."

            She paused, giving the moment the weight it deserved, waiting for his cutting remark but he said nothing only waited for her to continue.

"I reached to pull my leg out of the roots and when I stood up the kid was gone."

"That's it? That's your ghost?"

"No…even back then I was an investigator."

            Again she paused to taste her water and Mulder watched her lips purse around the top of the bottle as she took a long drink.

"So what happened?"

"It was something I'll never forget and Charlie says it made me the sceptic I am today.  Anytime we went to a museum or that time we were looking up The Loch Ness monster in the library and I would try to explain it rationally, Charlie would go around shouting _"Dr Dana Explains it All",_ god that annoyed me."

"Well Scully I'm intrigued."

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Are you kidding? Insight into the unflappable Dana Scully? I thrive on it," he said softly his tone thick and heavy with something she couldn't quite place but continued with her story anyway, enjoying the attention he was lavishing on her.  She was used to him treating her like she was the only woman in the world but the focus and attention he was pouring around her made her feel a twinge inside that she hadn't felt in a long time.  

_Well not since I had to go and collect him in the gym and he walked over in those Speedos_ she laughed to herself.

** I only found out about this Fanfic site back in Feb and I've been a total addict since then.  I can't believe this is the seventh piece I've uploaded (I've stopped sleeping and my social life has gone to the dogs, but that's a small price to pay!) and I just wanted to let you all know how much the reviews have been appreciated.  Without them I don't think I'd written this much or this well (I hope).  So Thanks for taking the time to post.  And thanks for Caitlin for taking the time to proof my stuff. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay.  A serious block over the past week and this format is one I've never written in before.  Just to save confusion this is Dana Scully aged 11…**

            A soft knock at her bedroom door made Dana Scully look up from where she was hunched on the floor below the window.

"Dana it's me," Bills soft voice called.

"Go away Bill," she called back harshly, angry at her voice for betraying her tears to her brother.

"Come on Dana, let me in.  I'm sorry."

"Bill I said Go away!"

"What if I believe you?" he asked through the thin door and when she didn't reply he continued.  "I want to hear about it, I won't laugh."

            Dana remembered the laughter from the other kids when she came running out of the forest with no tennis ball and only a story about an apparition for her troubles.

"I don't care if you believe me or not Bill."

"Dana open the door and tell me."

            Dana scurried to her feet and rushed open to swing the door open, where she met Bill with her red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.  Her eyes were crossed into a heavy frown and it was only then that he realised how hurt she really was.

"I'm going to prove it to you," she said over her shoulder as she walked back into the room before more renegade tears fell.

"What did you see?" he asked having followed her into the room and sat on her bed.

"It was a boy, he was sitting in the tree.  Watching me."

            Bill watched her try to hide the shiver that shook her spine and was instantly regretful of his callous laughter when she'd come out of the forest.

"I'm going to get proof," she said matter of factly.

"Proof? How?"

"A picture, with Charlie's camera."

"A picture of a ghost?"

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts?"

"I don't," he said as he flicked through the comic on her bed.  

"Listen Bill, I'm not going to be known as Scary Scully for the rest of the summer.  I don't know what I saw out there, but I'm going to find out."

            He watched in amazement as she packed her small backpack with a torch and Charlie's camera and slipped it on her back before she climbed out onto the trellis outside her window.

"If you go out this late I'll have to tell Dad."

"Don't you dare William Scully.  If you tell then I'll have to tell," she challenged as she hung on to the windowsill.

"Tell what?"

"How that scratch really got on Dad's new Chevy."

            Bill was stunned into silence as he watched her climb the rest of the way down.  He saw her re-sit her bag on her back before checking both ways and running down the street into the darkness of the airfield.  She kept the torch off until she reached the fence they'd been playing at earlier and she hunkered down into the long grass to catch her breath.  Her heart hammered in her chest banging out an irregular rhythm she could feel pulsating through her whole body.  The torch was small and only lit part of her path so she took it slowly, her head swinging around in the darkness at every branch that swayed or animal that called out.

"Hello?" she called timidly almost hoping that she wouldn't get a reply.

            Whatever courage she felt running away from Bills taunts were squashed as she stepped through the dark forest.  Before when she was looking for the ball and the other kids were shouting trying to scare her she found it comforting to know that they were still there waiting for her.  But the only sounds that carried through the air right now was a soft rustle of the summer wind through the trees and scurrying beneath her feet as the night animals ran from her intrusion.

            She soon found herself in the small clearing at the centre of the forest and instantly she knew that she had gone too deep.  

"You wish you could throw it this far Bill," she said into the night letting the sound of her own voice calm herself down.

            She ran the light around the clearing and looked for an obvious path.  Deciding to return the way she came she faced around looking for the right way but found nothing.  Spinning faster her heart panicked and sent blood and hot flashes through her small body.  She looked up to the sky to search for the stars in the hopes that she'd find her way that way.  But the thick branches were heavy with summer foliage and blocked all views of the constellations.

"If the stars wont come to me," she muttered as she placed the torch in her pocket and started to climb a tree.  "then I'll have to go to the stars."

            She pulled herself up on the branches pausing only to look down and see how far she would have to fall.  Finally she made it up as far as she dared to climb and looked up to the beautiful clear night sky.

"Come on Orion, don't hide from me…" she said as she studied the twinkling lights.

            As she spotted Orion and The Big Dipper she followed the trail to the North Star and compared it with the trunk of the tree she hung in for a direction to travel in.

"Thank you Ahab," she said laughing at the thought of all the constellations he made her study and recognise.  

            Dana landed with a roll on the forest floor and stood up brushing herself off when she felt something hit her heat.  Holding the spot where the small object connected at the back of her head she whipped around in time to see someone running deeper into the forest.

"Hey," she called, "stop."

            She ran after him, pulling her torch out of her pocket and ignoring the scratching on her legs from the low plants she watched the pathway making sure she was following the right way.  The footsteps rustling through the forest in front of her were fast and she found it hard to keep up but suddenly they stopped and she slowed down to catch her breath and listen for the right direction.

            She leaned against a tree trunk and took deep breaths listening to the muted sounds of the woodland when she heard the scream.  Standing bolt upright she held her breath, a burning sensation spreading through her lungs as she refused to give them the air they cried out for.  The scream seemed so close and yet with the ringing in her ears from her heartbeat she couldn't be sure.   But the next time it happened it seemed like it was on the other side of the tree.  Her eyes widened and she stuck her back to the rough bark, paying no attention to the sharp pain it caused her on her right shoulder.

            She took a deep breath and relaxed her heart before pounding through the forest in what she hoped was the right way.  Her arms stayed out in front of her ready to bat away any branches or plants that might be in her way.  As she ran in through the clearing she could hear the footsteps behind her making her run faster than she had ever run before.  

            Her mind reeled with the possibilities of what might be behind her and as inquisitive as she usually was nothing could make her stop running to find out.  When the bright light shone from over head she almost fell, saving herself by grabbing a low branch and running on regardless.  The footsteps seemed to be getting closer and she couldn't run any faster but the lights from the airbase were in her sights now and she was sure she'd make it.  If will power alone could make her run faster she would surely be sprinting but her legs were tired and they started to stumble beneath her.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled over her shoulder as the footsteps seemed to be right on her back.  The light from the sky went past and returned to the forest.

            Her foot caught on the edge of protruding roots and she fell to the ground with a heavy thud, cracking her head on the side of the offending tree.  But even as she fell she rolled over onto her back her hands already fumbling for her torch to see what was chasing her.

"Dana…" the voice whispered but she could see nothing, her beam spun around her, falling from tree to tree but there was nothing there.  She crawled backwards to the fence that stood only four feet away and slowly climbed over it, here eyes and torch still on the forest.  But as she pulled the last leg over and swung around to run home two large hands grabbed her shoulders pulling her off the ground and into a big chest.  She screamed and beat her small hands against it but it was no good, she was too weak.  The darkness fell over her eyes and she fought it hard only to fall into it's inviting warmth.

_**Already finished the next chapter, I'll have it typed and uploaded tonight…**_


	3. Chapter 3

            Mulder watched her tell the story her face more animated then he had ever seen it as she went through all the emotions.  She smiled through it all and he knew she was laughing at it now but the terror was so real for her then.

"I just made it over the fence when something grabbed me and I passed out."

"What happened? Who grabbed you?" he asked eagerly.  He had been hanging on her every word, enjoying the shine in her eyes and the curve on her lips.

"It was my father."

            Mulder frowned confused at the ending he hadn't expected.

"Bill told him where I'd gone and he came after me.  Got a chopper up to search the forest and sent a team to search the opposite side."

"Your father? What about the ghost?" he asked.

"Well I can only put it down to childish fears and willing something to be there that was never there."

"You imagined it?" he said unconvinced.  He'd heard the tremor in her voice and saw the spark behind her deep blue eyes.  He didn't believe her and he knew she didn't either.  Her eyes avoided him as she took another drink from her water.

"I was eleven, in a dark forest searching for a ghost.  I was going to see something whether it was there or not."

"Scully, you're such a tease."

"What do you mean?" she asked facing him for the first time since she finished her tale.

"You lured me in and got me all excited with the premise of a ghost story but then you give me nothing."

"I said I _thought_ I saw a ghost once.  I never promised you tales of untold horror."

"Well it was implied," he said smiling as he resettled himself in the seat and reached for some seeds.

"Or maybe you picked up an inference that was never there," she said finally.

            He cast a sideways glance and caught her looking back unashamedly watching him.

"I really did think I saw a ghost," she said quietly and he looked at her fully.  "It really scared me, I couldn't sleep for ages and I wouldn't go near that forest again."

"Amazing how a childhood memory can affect us even now," he said before he realise the weight his comment held.  They shared a secret smile and both of them turned away into the night to let the silent tension settle.

"Your turn," she said eventually not wanting him to loll too long in his own thoughts.

"What?"

"What scared you when you were a kid?"

"You're kidding right?"

"Sorry Mulder I didn't mean…"

            A thick silence fell between them and Scully cursed her insensitivity.  She knew what scared him as a kid.  It was the same thing that scared him right now.  The same thing that kept sleep out of his reach and disturbed him in more ways than she could ever know.  Mulder looked out of the rain-covered window up to the apartment they were watching.  He knew she was feeling uncomfortable in their silence but his thoughts had been lingering so much on Samantha that there was little he could say.  He knew what scared him and so did she.

"I was afraid of being alone and helpless," he whispered into the tension that was settling between them.

            She didn't reply.  He didn't expect her to.  Looking around he found her watching him again her eyes wide and blue as if she was afraid of what he might say.

"I wasn't afraid of the dark, or monsters…maybe I should have been," he said with a self-derisive laugh that shook her to the core.

            Tentatively she reached over and touched his arm.  She could feel the heat emanating from him even through his cotton jumper.  

"I'm sorry Mulder, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay Scully," he said covering her hand with his own trapping her slender fingers against his arm.  He watched her for a moment battle with her thoughts and smiled warmly at her.  "When I was young…about fifteen I was going through some rough stuff."

            She didn't speak not wanting to dispel the mood he was trying to create.  His eyes had glazed over and his hand travelled with hers down the length of his arm where he interlocked their fingers.

"I threw myself into my studies and little else mattered to me.  I spent most of my time in the library studying reading writing anything but go home to my parents.  They were at their _we're fighting and gone past pretending_ stage so it wasn't exactly pleasant."

"Mulder, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to," she offered hoping he wouldn't feel obliged to tell her stuff he wanted to keep secret.

"Scully you're my best friend and the only person I trust in the world."

            He looked up from their mingling fingers and watched a faint blush cross her face.  Smiling tenderly he captured her blue eyes and emptied all he could into them, letting her know exactly how much he trusted her and valued their relationship.

"If I can't talk to you about this stuff, who can I talk to?" he said.

"Your fish?" she joked tearing her eyes away from him before she saw too much or showed him all she had to offer.

"I think that's why they keep dying on me," he retorted.

"I'm glad you can talk to me.  I like it," she admitted plainly.

"I like it too."

            Their eyes locked and for a moment they each froze, caught in their own thoughts their own feelings and fantasies but fissure of reality broke through with a flash of lightning, as the rain got heavier.

"Bad night for a stakeout," she said glancing away and looking out the window still aware of their joined fingers.

"Yeah perfect night for an open fire and some ghost stories."

"You got any?"

"One or two…very scary though."

"I think I can handle it," she said looking back to him and settling into the chair.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warned you."

"Mulder, you always warn me," she quipped confusing him with a twitch in her eyebrow and his mind racked for a double meaning.

"Okay Scully, you asked for it."

**Strange format I know but stick with it…I think it will all work out in the end…I HOPE!**


	4. Chapter 4

            _**Just again to save confusion Fox Mulder aged 15.  I may have dates and years mixed up but just give me artistic licence!!**_

Fox Mulder slowly let his head drop onto the soft crook of his elbow and let his heavy eyelids fall, plunging him into the darkness he'd been avoiding for so long.  The pile of books beneath his arms offered little comfort but having developed his insomnia so well he took the sleep where ever he could get it.  Oblivious to the motions in the library around him, he watched the red and blue lights swirl before his eyes, flashing images and emotions through his mind and he woke with a start, her name cursing his lips as he realised his surroundings.

            Ignoring the curious glances from the other patrons he quickly gathered his books and slipped them into his bag as he left the building and jumped onto his bike.  He pedalled quickly away from the scene and soon found himself cycling the deserted pathway in the forest park that lined the town.

            Looking at the river that ran alongside the path he watched the water rush ahead of him bouncing off the rocks and corroding the soft bed on its way.  Fox jumped off the bike and tossed it beneath a tree as he arrived at the weir.  Balancing carefully he slowly made his way across the lip of the man-made weir and made it to the other side where the forest was thicker and seemed more foreign.            

            He sat at the edge of the river on a flat rock and removed his shoes and socks before slipping his feet into the cool inviting water.  Lying back against the rock that was still warm from the day's sun he held up his book and continued to read.  As twilight came and transformed the sky into a menagerie of colours before displaying an incredible tapestry of constellations and planets.

            Fox sighed deeply and thought of the empty place settings at the dinner table and refused to move.  The mere thought of having to sit through another silent meal with his parents made him mad enough to think about leaving for good.  Laughing at his juvenile responses he thought of all the different times he had packed his bag only to find himself perched on that very same rock pondering his next move.

            A muffled scream from behind him made him sit up and turn around into the forest.  He'd never heard a gunshot before and the that crack rang through his ears was so unfamiliar it didn't scare him until the smell of the powder burned his nostrils.  He ducked low on the rock and waited to hear more but all he could hear was footsteps running in the opposite direction.  When their sound had faded beyond his reach he slowly crept up to the edge of the rock to see if anything was waiting for him.  His heartbeat against his chest sounding out a rhythm he'd felt before and a sudden wave of nausea washed over him.  He fought to control it but it burst through his body and he released it with a cry.

            Pulling himself off the rock he moved cautiously over to the forest where the noise had come from.  His sleeve felt rough against his lips but he dragged it across his mouth in a futile effort to rid himself of the foul taste as he stepped through the bush.  The hand was sticking out from under a pile of leaves and he froze at the sight of the bare forearm.  His mind staggered with possibilities as he stepped closer and moved a few of the leaves with his foot.

            As the stunned face was revealed Fox lurched back in horror at the vacant eyes and fallen expression that met him.  He fell back onto the hard forest floor and scrambled to his feet already running before he was standing fully.  Taking no time to balance on the weir's wall he ran across heedless grabbing his bike mid motion and running with it until he had enough clear room to jump on and pedal home.

            The porch light was still on when he jumped the stairs in one go and bounded into the house.  He ventured slowly into the dining room where two undisturbed place setting stared back at him tauntingly.  Turning his back on them he fled up to his room and fell onto the bed.  Part of his conscious urged him to call the police and report what he saw but the rest of him, the part that had lost all faith in the judicial system and law enforcement ignored it.

            The night was hot and sticky and he slept little, tossing and turning in the air throwing his sheets to the ground.  He stood up from the bed tired of moving around in the stillness, feeling the night close to his skin and walked over to the open window.  Letting the breeze caress his damp chest he looked out onto the street and spotted the squad car approaching his drive silently.  His heart began it's feverant beat again as he grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and raced to the front door to open it before they knocked.

"Hello son," the police officer said removing his hat and smiling oddly at Fox.

"What can I do for you sir?" Fox said calmly amazed at how loud his voice was as it echoed around the empty porch.

"I'd like a word with your father, is he in?"

"He's sleeping sir, can't you come back tomorrow?"

"No. I'm afraid I can't."

"I'll just go and get him then…" Fox said stalling for more time as the police officer stepped closer and walked past him into the front room.

            Fox looked on as the two men stood by the fire that hadn't been lit in months before bolting upstairs to his parent's bedroom.  He knew his father slept in here alone and his mother had opted to sleep in Samantha's room and for once he was grateful.  Knocking lightly he pushed the door open only to find his father sitting on the edge of the bed staring out the window at nothing.

"Dad," Fox said softly.

"What is it Fox? Who were you talking to?"

"Some police officers are downstairs and they want to talk to you."

            Fox watched as his fathers face fell showing the pain and frustration so clearly that he had managed to hide so well all these years.  It broke his heart to see the shaky stance his father took as he stood away from the bed and ambled slowly past him and down the stairs.   He followed him at a small distance not wanting to disturb whatever the cops had to say but needing to know what would be said.

"What can I do for you Derek?" his father said as he stepped into the living room.

"Sorry to disturb you William but I have some disturbing information and I wanted to be the one…"

"Samantha…is it Samantha?" his father managed to say wanting meet it fully if the end was finally here.

"No sir, no…it's Fox."

"Fox? What do you mean?" his father said confusion racking his voice as he glanced up to the staircase where Fox sat huddled against the rails.

"There was a murder.  In fact it's the third one this week.  Out in Andrew's Park."

"What's this got to do with Fox?" he asked angry now at the implications he knew were about to come.

"We found some of his things at the scene."

            Fox watched as he father reached out for something he couldn't see and studied it closer before calling him into the room.

"Yes dad?" he said walking into the room and seeing his sneakers and his book on the table between all the men.

"Were you out at Andrews Park?"

"Yeah, I went out after school…I saw…it was…"

"What happened son?" the police officer said resting a heavy hand on his shoulder, in an effort to calm his panic.

"I went out to the park to study.  I was lying on the big rock by the edge of the weir and I heard something…sounded like a scream."

"What were you doing in the park? Your mother told you-," his father began but the officer stopped him.

"Then I heard a gunshot, I wasn't sure at first but it smelled like burning," he said looking straight at the policeman trying desperately to convey the strength he was trying to feel.

"Did you see anything?"

"No sir, I heard footsteps running away so I went to look…"

"What did you see?"

"A young girl, half buried in the leaves," he said matter of factly.  "Was she dead?"

"I'm afraid she was.  It was Elsie Burke, sophomore at Lincoln High."

            Fox swallowed hard as he went through his mind in search of her name.  

_English Lit 12th grade, won poetry competition_, he thought cursing his photographic memory not for the first time.

"We need to verify you're story Fox," Derek said as he wrote in his notebook.

            But his father placed a protective arm around Fox's shoulder making him jump as his father hadn't touched him in years.

"Is Fox under suspicion?"

"Not at all sir.  We'll verify his whereabouts from the other murders but this MO is too wretched to be a boy."

"So what happens now?" he asked again, loosening the grip he had on his sons shoulder.

"We already have his prints from the elimination a couple of years ago…" Derek said but his voice trailed off as he spotted the look of anguish that crossed both of the Mulder faces before him.

"Why didn't you report this sooner?" Derek asked Fox when he looked up from his notebook.

"I…I don't know," was all he could manage."

"Well, we'll get back to you tomorrow about the progress and dates."

"Thank you Derek," his father said as he walked them out to the door and Fox sat heavily into the couch waiting for the barrage of accusations when his father would return.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" he yelled before he made it into the room fully.

"What?"

"Your mother told you not to go out to the park after dark," his father shouted pointing a finger at his chest.

"Jesus Dad I'm fifteen, I can take care of myself."

"What if that killer saw you?" what if he shot you?"

"What if he did? It's not like you'd miss me…you hardly know I'm alive," Fox shouted back matching his fathers fury.

"What are you talking about? Of course we'd miss you."

"For the past three years all I ever hear is you and Mum fighting.  No matter what goes on with me you're not satisfied, I can never get your forgiveness for letting them take her," he shouted his voice cracking towards the end as the tears welled up harder in his eyes.

"Fox-," his father said calmly but Fox's anger had carried him to a place he only thought or dreamt about and nothing could make him go back.

"No, don't patronize me with platitudes of love and forgiveness, the words mean nothing to me when I know the hatred you feel."

"You don't understand Fox, maybe some day you will," his father said quietly.

"I never want to understand what it is that goes on in your head, I never want to know the feelings you have."

            His father looked on helplessly as Fox poured his anger into the room between them.  The bubbling hatred for his own father finally boiled over with the gentle protective touch he got earlier and he could stop it.  He hated the accusing look of blame he got from his parents every time they looked at him so finally he wanted to stand up to it, challenge it, refuse to wait by helplessly until it washed away.  This time it wouldn't wash away, this time he'd make sure they knew how he felt and he wanted nothing less than the truth from them.  

            From the corner of his eye he saw his mother slowly descending the stairs and cautiously enter the room where Fox and his father stood opposite sides of the room facing away from each other.

"What's going on?" she said carefully.

"Nothing mum…" Fox said unable to meet her enquiring gaze.

"William?" 

"Fox is angry, he thinks we blame him for Samantha's disappearance."

"Blame you dear? never," she said crossing the room and gathering her son into a hug.

"Mum, it was me," he cried, "I was here, I was supposed to watch her."

"There was nothing you could have done," she mumbled against his hair. 

"I could have saved her…"

            His mother thought back to that night where they found him curled up in the living room floor, _The Magician_ was playing on the TV behind him but it did nothing to destroy the trance he sat in.  They shook him and slapped him tying to bring him round but he stayed like that for the rest of the week, not talking, eating or moving.

"Fox, you did everything you could have done," she said again.

"I froze mum, I froze and they took her right in front of me."

"Shhh," she said against his head as his words crumbled into tears and he hugged her back tightly.


	5. Chapter 5

            **I promised myself I wouldn't do it for this story but…FAVOURITE CHAPTER!!!**

Scully wanted to look away but the sight of tears flowing freely from her partner's eyes was hypnotising.  Listening to every word he uttered she went through an array of emotions as his story progressed but now only felt pride.  Proud of him for opening up so much to her, revealing his worries and memories like no one had ever done and she suspected, correctly, it was a first for him too.

"Mulder I…I," she struggled to find the right words to comfort him.  

            No sound came with his tears and it was as if he didn't notice they were falling.  She glanced down to their hands that were still interlocked on his lap; her smaller one cupped between his two large but gentle hands.  

"It was my first reality…a taste of reality that I didn't shy away from," he began softly, his eyes looking out the window blankly.  "I faced up to it and challenged my father for the first time that night.  I don't think we ever recovered from it."

"The lines of authority are often blurred in the teenage relationship with parents."

"No Scully it was bigger than that."

            He shook his head slowly and finally turned around to face her.  He tried to smile but it only looked like he was wincing.

"I finally started to admit to myself about what happened to Samantha.  My family had been living like she was at summer camp and we were waiting for her to walk in the door with stories of fires and canoeing…but she never did."

            Scully felt her fingers tightening around his as he spoke ever so quietly about his sister.  

"That night I gained a new sense of power…a sense that I could do something, make a difference as long as I didn't hang around and wait for it…not to be helpless, that's the key Scully."

            He looked straight into her eyes and she was momentarily shocked at the power and passion that radiated from them.

"That summer I followed the case of the serial killer that had attacked the girl that night," he continued, looking away before she could read too much.  "It fascinated me the lengths he had gone to, to trick his victims and convince them of his good standing, only to brutally murder them after severe sexual abuse."

            His face suddenly became alive as he began to speak about the hours he spent at the police station bugging the detectives for information on the killer and what he had done.

"I fell in love with the way the mind worked, how, in his case, bad treatment from family had led him to act out his rage on strangers and I wondered why I hadn't turned out like that…what was going through the minds of the…people that took Samantha…I couldn't get enough of it."

"So you went to study psychology in Oxford," she said with a small smile.

"Well should I ever analyse myself I can only say it was more a need to escape than a need to educate."

"How did your parents react when you told them you were going to Europe?"

"I was living with my mother and hardly saw my father so, it was never an issue."

"Did you miss it?"

"There wasn't exactly a home to miss," he said derisively.  "My father wanted to move out as soon as…it happened…but my mum refused to go."

"I can understand the need to stay close to whatever she could."

"It consumed her…it always will until the day she dies."

            The mood turned sombre again and Scully was immediately regretful for pushing the subject that was so tender for him only now.  They looked away from each other and let the sound of the rain fill the car for seconds then minutes.  He took a sideways glance at her and saw she looking down to her knees, picking an imaginary piece of fluff from them.  He gave her hand a short sharp squeeze until she looked up into his smile.  It was warm and welcoming and she returned it freely.

"God Scully…I love you," he muttered, still smiling.  But as the words tumbled candidly from his lips he froze and wondered briefly if he had said it aloud or not.

            When she looked up to his smile it seemed only natural to answer it with one of her own but when she heard his words, for a second she thought she imagined them, until the look of fear passed over his still smiling face.

"Sorry…I didn't mean that…" he stammered but then as those words sunk in he blushed and tried again, "I mean I did mean it but I didn't mean to…"

"Mulder are you blushing?" she asked needing to point out the occasion that was so rare between them.

"Blushing? no, is it hot in here?" he asked rolling the window down a touch and welcoming the fine spray from the rain to cool down his deepening colour.

"Why Fox Mulder I do believe you are blushing, over little ole me!" she teased enjoying his struggle for composure.

            But Mulder decided enough was enough turned to her fully, still holding her hand and bending one of his legs beneath him to face her more.  Her smile stalled at the look in his eyes and the grin that began to stretch across his face.

"Scully you and I both know that whatever-."

"Car 1175 this is base, do you copy?" the CB radio crackled to life cutting his words off before he had a chance to finish.

"This is Agent Mulder, what's up?" he said after he reached to the transmitter.

"The surveillance has been called off, stakeout's over.  You can go home."

"What happened?"

"The suspect has been found dead at McKinley Park, looks like execution killing.  Meeting in the bullpen tomorrow at 11am."

"Okay, Mulder and Scully signing off."

            He replaced the transmitter and looked over to Scully who was logging the book and slipping her coat on.

"Well _Scary Scully_, looks like we've been released from our duties."

"Good."  
"You'll get to crawl into your bed sooner than you thought," he said.

"Yes…but after going home early for a rest today I'm not one bit tired."

"Well…" Mulder thought he knew an invite when he heard one and ventured forward.  "Do you want to go for something proper to eat?"

"Aren't you full?" she asked, holding out the two empty seed packets.

"Appetizers Scully…only appetizers!"

"I dunno I'd kind of like to go home, relax, take the shoes off, you know."

"Yeah I guess, it is pretty late, he said spying the clock on the dashboard as it read 2.45 am.

"So if you wouldn't mind eating a pizza or something we could eat at my place?" she suggested, partially afraid of him finishing what he started, partially afraid of him pushing it away.

"Sure, but I don't have my car, I need to leave this here for Lawson in the morning."

"Come on, my car is across the road."

            They dashed through the rain and jumped into her car, laughing at  their stiff movements and tousled hair.  Mulder rang the pizza place while she drove and they were only in her apartment five minutes when it arrived at her door.  As she changed out of her wet clothes into a pair of black linen trousers and a tee shirt, Mulder paid for the food and brought it into the living room where she found him already biting into a slice.

"Don't wait or anything," she called jokingly as she went in to the kitchen to get two glasses.  "Milk or wine Mulder?"

"What, no beer?"

"Just trying to bring some class into your life," she retorted as she grabbed two bottles of beer and joined him on the couch.

"Lovely thanks," he said when he took the bottle from her as she slid down to the floor by his legs.

"I left out some stuff for you to change into on my bed, your clothes are soaking."

"I'll go after this slice," he said and folded the pizza in half to make it easier to bite.

"Go now Mulder before you catch a cold," she ordered with a slap on his shin.

            Begrudgingly he got up and went into her bedroom where he found a pair of tracksuit bottoms, socks and a US NAVY branded tee shirt.  A towel had been draped over the end of the bed and he quickly patted his body dry before changing.  Taking his wet clothes out to the kitchen he put them into a paper bag and left them by the door, before going back to the couch.

"Are these yours?" he asked tugging on the end of his top.

"Hardly Mulder, I always keep men's clothes here, you never know when you'll need them."

            He froze with a slice of pizza half way to his mouth when he spotted her smile.

"Funny Scully!"

"Sorry Mulder, but you should have seen your face," she said laughing and leaning back onto the couch.  "They're Bills, he left them here ages ago."

"Think I'd make a good Navy man?" he asked puffing out his chest to emphasise the NAVY tag.

"No Mulder, it's all about rules and regulations.  You wouldn't last two weeks."

"I suppose not," he admitted reaching for another slice.

"But I bet you'd look really good in the uniform."

            She had uttered it so quietly that he wasn't sure she had said it but when he realised she did he wasn't sure if she was joking.  Looking at her but seeing only the side of her face he was none the wiser so he let it drop, cursing himself for doing so.  They finished the pizza and cleared away the box before settling into the couch with the TV turned on but with the volume low.  She sat low on the couch with her head resting back and her legs stretched out in front of her crossed on the table.

"I really enjoyed tonight," he said plainly, shuffling on the couch, turning towards her and stretching his arm along the back of it, resting it near where her head lay.

"Yeah?"

"I know it was a waste of the taxpayers money and all," he joked making her smile with a little laugh, "but I enjoyed hearing your story and telling you mine."

"Me too," she admitted letting her head loll to the side towards him.

            He lifted his hand off the couch and touched the top of her head softly, twirling her damp hair between her fingers.  He could feel his heart racing with self-control and hoped he could make it last.

"We should do it more often."

"Talk?"

"Talk properly.  We've known each other for how many years Scully? Four?"

"Yeah," she said wondering where he was going with this train of thought.

"I trust you with my life and yet there is so much stuff I don't know about you."

"A lady has to have some mystery, Mulder!"

            He chuckled and watched the way her hair wrapped around his fingers.

"Sometimes there can be too much mystery and not enough honesty," she added softly.  His fingers stalled and she glanced up to him only to find him watching her.

"I've never been anything but honest with you Scully."

"I wish I could say the same."

            A hot wave coursed though his body in anticipation of what she was about to say.  He'd never known her to lie; she had made a point of always telling him things the way they were, no matter how blunt she needed to be. 

"What do you mean?" he dared to ask.

"Mulder you said it yourself, we've known each other for so long, worked together, laughed together, hurt together…but how well do we _really_ know each other?"

"I guess not very well?"

"Boxers or briefs?" she asked her face so still and serious that he wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

"What?"

"Which is it Mulder?" this time asking with a devilish smile.

"You already know the answer to that one."

"Yeah, I know," blushing now she sat up away from his tender caresses into her hair and sat back against the couch.

"What about you?"

"I'm not a fan of boxers, they tend to bunch."

"No I meant…" he laughed setting free a delicious sound into the room filling it with the husky sound of his voice.  She couldn't help but laugh quietly herself loving the freedom in his release.

"I'm sorry Mulder, but I've always found it hard to share, to be open…"

"You do okay with me."

"You only see what I let you see," she added looking away from his intense gaze and shuffling uncomfortably on the couch.

"You think?" he challenged.  Her eyes darted up to meet his and he saw the panic beneath her usually calm surface.  "I think I see more than you think I do."

"What do you mean?"

"You might forget that I'm a psychologist…I pick up things."

"Things?" she said struggling to get the quiver out of her voice. "Like what?"

"Like how you know I want to kiss you right now."

            His voice was thick with tension and she could feel his body so close and yet he wasn't touching her.  Her eyes fixed to a point just over the fireplace and she couldn't move them.  Couldn't risk looking up to him, meeting his eyes.  She imagined them to be wide with anticipation of her response, his pupils big and open drinking in her image, storing it for later inspection.

"Scully?" he asked, bending his head to try to see her face.

"Mmm?"

"Look at me."

            Slowly she turned her head towards him and he met her with wide enquiring eyes.  She resisted the urge to smile at her correct assumption and focused on an area just below his right eye.

"Well? Was I right?"

"Mulder I don't think it's appropriate-," she began.

"Scully I _know_ it's not but I have to say it.  I want to be totally honest with you and that's all I ask in return."

"Honesty?"

"That's all I've ever wanted."

"That's all?" her eyes made a shaky journey to his lips and back up to his burning hazel eyes and she smiled, a small curve pulling her lips slightly apart and it drove him crazy.

            He moved forward and stopped just in front of her, his lips hovering over hers, their breath mingling in short sharp breaths.

"Maybe not _all_…" he whispered before closing the distance and kissing her cautiously.   He held back as much he could, trying desperately to keep it tender and not show the hunger he felt for fear of scaring her. 

            But her hands moved up from her lap and traced their way tenderly up his torso, one rested on his chest while the other buried into his hair, silently urging him to deepen the kiss, which he did without hesitation.  His tongue slipped past her lips easily and she moaned softly at the sensation it caused.  But when she felt her own throat trembling with desire it seemed to waken her to what was happening.  He seemed to sense her reluctance and carefully he pulled away from her, his eyes looking down to her swollen kissed lips. Her hands came away from him and she absently touched her mouth with her fingertips, her mind racing her heart as they both throbbed endlessly.

"Scully? You okay?" he asked softly.

"Okay…yes…I'm okay."

"I'm sorry-," he began but she looked up to him with a look in her eyes that he hadn't seen before stopping any words that lurked on his lips.

"Sorry for kissing me?"

"No, I'm not sorry for that, I'm sorry if you didn't-."

"Oh I did Mulder, believe me I did."

            A silence grew between them and lingered for a few moments as they both sat in their own thoughts.  

"So much for honesty," he muttered as he sat up off the couch and straightened his clothes, suddenly uncomfortable.

"What?"

"For the first time we admit…_I_ admit…to you how I feel, what I feel every time I'm near you and always when I'm not and look where it gets us?" he said unable to hide the anger from his voice.  "Stifled silence and broken thoughts."

"Mulder," she said standing to meet him but being barefoot she was so small and came only up to his chest.  "I'm sorry if I wasn't every thing you imagined but the difference is I'm a real person…with real feelings and real fears."

"Don't you think I feel them too?" he said backing away from her, as the need to touch her and kiss her was all but overwhelming.  "You don't get to have a monopoly on those fears Scully."

"That's rich coming from you," she said matching his anger as her fear churned into something more carnal.

"What does that mean?" he said twirling around on his heel and facing her fully, his hands resting on his hips.

"Mulder you can't say all this to me and expect me to just go "_okay let's go to bed"_, it doesn't work like that."

"I didn't think it did, honesty Scully that's what I said."

"Honesty? If I was to be honest…" she began quietly.

"You'd be so vulnerable…to me…do you trust me?" he interrupted softly.

"Yes, you know I do. I trust you with my life."

"With your heart?"

"My heart…I don't know…I don't…"

"Scully, I'd never do anything to hurt you.  I'm always there for you, I always will be." He stepped closer to her.

"I know."

"So will you let me in?" Taking another step he stood directly in front of her, their bodies only centimetres from touching.

"In to the dark realm of my soul…" she said lightly making him smile.

"No that would be me."

"Mulder I don't know what I can give you."

"I'll take anything you have to offer…be that your friendship…or something more."

"I'll give you everything I have Mulder, sure you have most of it already," she said with a shy smile.

"I do?" His hands ran down the length of her arms and he locked their fingers together.

"My trust, my respect, my friendship."

"All I need now is your kiss," he said before bending his head and touching his lips gently to hers.  When she returned it he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, afraid to loosen the grip in case she stepped away.

            Finally when they parted he looked down to her face delighted to see it awash with pleasure, her eyes were half closed and the fear she wore earlier was dispelled into the wet night.

"God Mulder…I love you," she whispered, unable to stop her self but suddenly glad she didn't.

"I know Scully, I know," he said with a smile as he pulled her into a tight hug and held her against him.  She snaked her arms around his body and they stayed like that for a long time, simply holding each other, swaying in the dimly lit room shaking their fears away.

"You do?"

"Of course Scully, it's like a mirror of emotions…I see in you only what I feel myself."

"How long have you known?" she asked shifting in the circle of his arms to look up at him.

"I guess I always knew but I only admitted it myself recently."

"Why?"

"Because I was tired of suppressing the urge to kiss you."

"Me too," she whispered.

            He smiled and reached down for another kiss and she stepped up on her tiptoes to save him from bending so far down but he brought his arms lower and lifted her off the ground holding her against him as he walked over to the couch.  When he sat down he pulled her onto his lap where she landed with a giggle into his kiss.

"Thank god for honesty."

"And for your impatience."

            They kissed again this time more free, as their hands explored as well as their tongues and neither of them noticed when the rain stopped and the sun began to creep into the room.

_** **"Writers hate writing but love to have written" – Stephan King**.  I never really got that quote until I wrote this piece.  It was probably the toughest piece I've written (dunno why!) and parts of it I didn't enjoy but I'm glad I did it and reading it over now I quite like it.  Thanks for the great feedback ;) **_


End file.
